So HSK examinations are only held twice per year in my country and are paper based examinations rather than computer based ones. Does anyone have any tips for preparing for the paper based exam?
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Do you plan to do the “old” HSK2, in Zurich in German, or elsewhere in English?
Is it your first HSK test?
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That hopefully will change once pandemic has become normal. Otherwise just come to Beijing we have dozens of test centers all offering the computer based test.
However for HSK 2 paper is actually easier than computer because there is no writing section yet. So you will be fine for that.
HSK 3 writing is very little but there is some
@Sonja-Mandarin-HSK_3 - Yes, this is my first HSK examination and I will take it in Zurich. I’m taking both HSK1 and HSK2 as they are on the same day.
@Andreas_Admin_Flexi - Nice to know that you think paper is easier! I feel a bit pessimistic about when I will be able to visit China again, but you never know!
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Okay. The easy thing about HSK is that the vocabulary is strictly reduced to the given list.
HSK 1 is really only these 150 words.
I have passed HSK 1 with no problem. (196/200 points) And I only knew these 150 words and the grammar. I could understand only sentences with these words exactly. I was very disappointed when I started to learn for HSK2 this year. Immediately I understood that I could not go on without a teacher and with reading only, without talking, and that I needed to work on my vocabulary very much. Haha. (But that’s another story)
Try one of those online mock tests, it is exactly like those.
Paper HSK2 still is “only” listening and reading. It always starts with easy things, you have to write a checkmark or an x. The first section in HSK 2 is a series of pictures and you listen to a sentence and say if the picture fits yes or no. You see a 西瓜， and the sentence is maybe: 这块西瓜要两块钱。(check). The hardest level of listening comprehension is to listen to 5 to 9 short sentences, e.g. about dinner and go jogging, and go jogging before or after dinner, and then you choose the right answer. Possible answers, maybe you have to choose between A 吃晚饭前， B 吃晚饭后， C 天黑后。 Everything is with pinyin. There is a lot you can even guess if you recognize the keywords. After months I had a look into my test trainer book right now. Oh, it looks so easy now compared with the “real life” Chinese language work of LTL. Mainly because the vocab is restricted so clearly and the grammar of course as well. I will try HSK2 in December.
加油！
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Thanks for the tips @Sonja-Mandarin-HSK_3 ! That’s an excellent HSK1 result! Well done! I am using the official HSK textbooks / workbooks to prepare for the exam itself, although am more HSK1 level than HSK2 level at the moment. I’m only taking HSK2 for the challenge. Did you learn the characters for your exam or the pinyin? I’m trying with characters but having the keyboard on the phone really helps. I almost seems like cheating.
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Originally I only wanted to learn to read and write Chinese. I practised the 150 hanzi extensively, alone and just for fun. I also learned all necessary radicals and components, which I love most about Chinese. Nothing special, e.g., 漂亮，contains 水，西，二，小，亠，口，冖, and 几。The second thing I love is the tones. I am a musician so that is a nice fitting challenge for me. With CDs it works, real-life spoken Chinese is still mostly frustrating though. 
Then I had the idea to try HSK to have an aim for my “lonely” learning.
For HSK1 I worked through this book. Amazon.de: Vorbereitung HSK-Prüfung. HSK 1: 9783940497260: Huang, Hefei, Ziethen, Dieter: Bücher
A test is a special situation, and it is really useful to “train” especially for the test format. Two little things that took “energy” - (you might laugh…) As a total beginner, I needed to get used to the numbers. Each question or task starts with a number which can be really your anchor in the test. And second I had to get used to that writing an x means no. ( I am used to saying yes by a cross and write a minus - for no.) The audio comes from a CD. It starts with Chinese music and with some explanations in Chinese, 
just wait for the start of the exam, but you will not miss it. 
Each chapter starts with an example that has already an x or a hooklet. The voices are a male and a female, you hear everything twice, in a slow teacher-like way. The atmosphere in my test was very nice. The examiners controlled that you only have a pencil and a rubber on the desk, and were excited to watch how well you do.
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Both those tips are good ones, thank you! I’d use a x to mean no too (but a tick to mean yes). Having to concentrate on the numbers is one I’ve already picked up on from the HSK listening exercises. And the long explanation at the beginning is a little disconcerting as I start thinking if I’ve missed something important.